How To Create A Boulder Rockery

Flowers, bushes and trees are a lot of work. A lot of commitment. You have to prune them and water them and, with trees at least, when they get too big, sometimes you have to do some rather extensive grooming on the branches. It costs money and it costs energy and effort, which is not something everyone has the patience or time for.

The solution is quite simple though – a rockery. It might sound like a bit of an odd idea to some, but an arrangement of rocks, boulders and pebbles could be the answer to your problem. Rocks keep things looking natural, they add a bit of a rustic feel to your garden and best of all, they are low maintenance.

But where do you start? How do you find and sculpt the right rocks for the job? Don’t worry, we’ll walk you through the process.

Choosing your “Look”

Before you head down to your local rock garden specialist, you may want to spend some time thinking about what kind of rock garden you’d like. You may be thinking, “Just how many types of rock garden are there?” Well, the sky is your limit.

It’s amazing how different types of rock can influence the general atmosphere of your garden. Firstly you have to consider colour – whilst you may think that it’s “all just grey”, the subtle differences between the colour of your rocks can totally change a space. For example if you’re looking to have a warmer, more exotic looking garden, you might want to consider making a centrepiece of a sandstone boulder which has a yellowy-brown hue. But if you wanted to keep things cool and neutral, some aged limestone will give your garden a settled look.

Of course colour isn’t everything, you’ll want to consider the texture of your rock – do you want it weathered smooth or are you looking for something metamorphic like volcanic rock? Each of these considerations will play a final hand in the appearance of your garden. A rockery also makes a great backdrop to a stylishly designed patio and helps to merge the living space into the garden.

Placement is your final consideration. Boulder rockeries can be anything from well-organised piles of rocks to sparsely and carefully placed rocks such as are found in Zen gardens. How you decide to design your garden will result in whether your garden has a minimalist look, a rustic look, a natural look or a thoroughly landscaped look. Some garden designers suggest facing rocks north to feel the largest benefits of different micro-climates in your garden. The choice is ultimately yours.

Your New Boulder Rockery

So you know what type of rock you want and you have a good idea of how you want to landscape your garden using these rocks, the next thing you need to do is actually buy the rocks and put them in place. But chances are if you’re looking for a way to avoid extensive, long-term gardening, you might not be in a position where hefting heavy boulders around is conducive to your lifestyle.

No worries, the best rockery specialists will always offer HIAB Offload delivery which means that they can use a special crane or other devices to put your purchased rocks in their desired place (after all, moving some of these boulders afterwards could prove to be difficult!

Matt Coussens is the director of Milestone Supplies, which provide Roofing, Natural Stone and Reclaimed products.